From the Rector - The Transformation of Love

This month will see the final weeks of Lent and our progression into the season of Easter.  We will leave behind the preparation of fasting, prayer and self-examination and enter into the celebration of Easter.  As we celebrate the power of God to bring Jesus back to life we are challenged to recognise that same power at work in ourselves, and others around us.  I wonder, how will we witness to God’s transforming love?

A well known story from World War Two tells of a Romanian Christian who was imprisoned at Belsen, and deprived of all he needed to sustain his faith: no crucifix, bible, icons, devotional books, corporate worship or knotted prayer beads.  So he prayed in secret – that he might respond to the call of love.  He found himself spending time in the camp with the sick, the starving, the diseased, the dying and the betrayers – all who were shunned by others.  One day, as the camp drew close to liberation, an atheist – a priest, in fact, who had his faith shattered by the experience of war – came to the Romanian and said, “I see how you live here.  Tell me about the God you worship”.  And the Romanian replied: “He is like me”.[1]

Most of us would be hard pushed to respond: “he is like me”.  Yet, as the gospels regularly hint, it is the example of faith that makes the difference, not the ideas.  In other words if we have been truly transformed by love, what we do in our lives will testify to that love.  We will become more like Jesus in what we do as well as who we are.  As disciples of Christ we are called to love one another as he loves us, to bear fruit that will last and to love those who have no one to love them.  For many of us this is a very hard challenge.  Those who are unloved rarely seem like an attractive target for our love and concern, yet of course they are the ones who need it most.  I read recently that a parent is called to love his/her child the most when the child behaves the worst.  The challenge is to let the love shine through our conditioned distaste of the unpalatable.

Clearly then in these latter stages of Lent we have an increased urgency to our Lenten task.  If we are going to be open to the transforming love of God this Easter then we may have some questions we need to ask ourselves.  Perhaps we can ask ourselves how we should like to be more like the Jesus of the gospels and in so identifying our task we can further ask what has hitherto kept us from being such.

It is important to notice that even if it is in the performing of the task that we appear more Christ-like, it is in our hearts, minds and souls that the transformation takes place.  Thus opening our hearts, minds and souls to God are an essential step on our journey to the cross.  The more we can practise putting ourselves into God’s hands the more we can be transformed by God.  This of course is the easy part.  The harder part is helping others to find the same love.  The only way we can support people in their search for God’s redeeming love is to show God’s love to them in the first place.  Again we are called to be Christ-like, imitating his desire to be with those who were outcast and destitute.  Just as Christ’s death on the cross held up a hope for all humanity, so God’s love in resurrecting Jesus from the grave offers redemption for all.  But our testimony is given through the action of Christ-like love and caring.

As you conclude your journey to the cross this Lent may the power of God’s love be known by you, and may you come to that blessed Easter morn filled with new hope and love.

                                                 David

[1] As related by the Revd Canon Professor Martyn Percy, Principal of Ripon College, Cuddesdon in its 2006 Newsletter.

 

About The Parish

It is surprising in life how people can be written off as failures early in their careers.  In 1965, Field Marshal Montgomery was asked to give a talk to the young cadets at the Royal Military Academy of Sandhurst.  This is how he started his talk:  "It's not easy for me to talk to you.  We are such very different ages (Monty was 78!).  I don't suppose there's anyone in this room who was born when I was here as a cadet.  Would that be right? (Laughter).  You and I, we belong to the profession of arms, and in that profession it is going to fall to you to exercise leadership in some degree or other, some more and some less.  Now don't think that because you leave here not having received promotion, or not having been thought good (pause) it's too early to tell whether you will rise to great rank or whether you will slowly peter out.  Now I, in my own case, I left here under a cloud, a very big cloud (Loud Laughter).  I was reduced to the ranks; I didn't mind that very much (Laughter).  I was put back a term - that I did mind - put back a term, and told when I left here that I was useless.  My company commander - he told me (Loud laughter).  It didn't work out that way (Laughter).  The chap who was useless was really my company commander.  He remained a major all his life and I did not (Loud Laughter).  So you never know!"

The great Fred Astaire came to Hollywood after his dancing partner and sister, Adele, had retired from their very successful career in the theatre to marry into the English aristocracy.  The studio assessment of his screen test was "Can't act, can't sing, slightly bald, can dance a little!"  Years later, his friend and dancing rival, Gene Kelly put it rather differently, "Fred can give an audience pleasure by just walking across the floor".  The British fashion model of the 60s, Lesley Hornby, better known as Twiggy, visiting Hollywood, was asked if there was anyone she would particularly like to meet and she said Fred Astaire, who had retired many years earlier.  She waited in the drawing room of his home and suddenly the door opened and he walked across the room towards her.  She said it was the most elegant event she had ever witnessed!

It is so easy to write someone off.  One of the greatest Presidents in the history of the United States, Franklin Delano Roosevelt died during the Second World War in 1945.  He was succeeded by Harry S Truman (the S did not stand for anything because he did not have a middle name!) who was a plain, rather ordinary politician, and son of a Missouri haberdashery storekeeper.  The world was unimpressed but not for long!  Truman met the challenge with remarkable aplomb, taking the awesome decision of dropping the atomic bomb to end the war with Japan and later relieving the most famous American hero, General Douglas MacArthur, of his command in the Korean War at the height of his popularity and fame for trying to defy the American government by seeking to expand the war into China.  The homespun Truman produced two memorable phrases which sum up his character - "If you don't like the heat, stay out of the kitchen!" and "The buck stops here!” 

So there you have it, never give up on anyone.  God doesn't, otherwise there would be little hope for any of us!                                                                                                            Roger Bryant

Nave Altar

(The experiment with the Nave Altar is now complete and we have reverted back to the High Altar.  However, here are further letters on the subject.  This has been a good discussion with views on either side of the argument.  This is what the magazine, inter alia, is for, to let parishioners have their say on Church matters and for their views to be respected.)

Dear Editor,

With reference to the trial of the nave altar, I feel that the nave area is the ideal area to have the main part of the service.  It is clearly visible from all areas of the church and removing the pews from this area brings the onlooker more into service and works really well.  The space can also be successfully used for performances, visiting musicians, speakers etc.  Raising the level of this area would I think make services and performances easier to see.  I do however think that when taking communion, not going up to the main altar to receive communion does result in the loss of the sense of occasion, uniqueness and that special feeling that the high altar has, as was mentioned in some of the letters last month.  Communion is the well known and consistent part of the service and the visibility of it less of an issue than the rest of the service which can be different in elements each week.  As a suggestion, while it can be difficult to please everybody, what might be more agreeable to all, would be to have the service taking place centred on the nave area as has been trialled in February but to have communion prepared/taken at the main altar.  Regards                                                                       Lisa Roonan

Dear David,

I can scarcely believe the controversy that the moving of the altar has aroused.  I have found it a good experience and it has made me think again just what 'our mission' to the local community should be in the church.  Just a few thoughts - with the altar in its new position, what do people see on entering the building?  I believe that the eye is drawn straight to the Lord's Table and there is a feeling of space and peace around it.  It is not remote and ungetatable - It is accessible. It is accessible not only because it is open but for people with disabilities - it is accessible in a more practical way.  Wheel chair users do not have to be made to look different at the sharing of communion, there are no barriers.  My neighbour Margaret Ward who is struggling with increasing rheumatoid arthritis says that she can approach the altar on her own without finding a barrier of steps to prevent her. This means too that the visually impaired do not have too far to walk.  Who do we want to come to worship and to join us at St Faith's?  Ideally everyone (!) but of course that is not realistic.  It is important though to be aware of how we are seen by outsiders or those who only visit infrequently.  The building is dark and with the pews placed as they are, it can be isolating and certainly not inclusive.  Of course, traditions should be valued but surely we should examine what they signify and not allow them to dominate and to stultify any change?  I have seen churches where the centrally placed altar has worked very well in moving worship forward.  Hexham Abbey in Northumbria, St Peter's in Petersfield and as an example of a newer building, St Alban's in West Leigh feels a very prayerful place.  Surely we must move with new ideas or otherwise the church buildings will become like dinosaurs.  The members of the Early Church worshipped in small home groups and nowadays the community churches which are very popular meet in old cinemas and community centres.  We should see the opportunities of the building, not the constraints.  We are all members of God's family and the central altar allows us to meet properly around the Table.  So, where is God in all this?  Surely not in petty squabbles about how we process and stand to receive Communion?  With good management that can be easily sorted out.  Of course there are several logistical problems to be looked at but I do wonder how prayerfully we have all approached the change?  I really don't want to be part of an enclosed church community and for me the change of the altar's position has been a truly moving experience.  Yes, keep the High Altar but let's meet around The Table.

 Best wishes,                                                                                                                 Hilary Deadman

Dear Colin,

I should like to respond to some of the views expressed in last months 'Faith Matters’.  I do understand the sense of loss and feeling of disorientation about the repositioning of the altar.  I thought that I too would find it difficult to accept.  However, can we not be thankful that every Sunday at 9.30am, we have a service that is both reverential and spiritual?  Where the liturgy is as meaningful as ever and the music beautiful.  Yes the altar has been moved from its traditional place and is closer to the congregation.  Does that really matter?  Once it has been set up properly so those who wish may kneel and we can approach and leave in an orderly manner, what is the objection?  Are we not glad to see so many young people with their children in church and if they are made to feel more included in the service, who are we "old" Christians to put obstacles in the way?  We may have kept the church going in the lean years, but they are the future so I would plead for a more open and generous spirit.                      Rosemary Thomas

Dear Editor,

I was delighted with the sense of space, when the pews were removed for the Altar Trial.  I was surprised how crowded the church had felt, choc-a-bloc with pews.  The first view of the altar coming around the pillar, with the crib and Wise Men in prime position was a sight to behold & I warmed to its position immediately.  I am in favour of not having the altar so far away from communicants, and would presume that if it were a permanent fixture, proper provision would be made for kneeling while receiving communion.  As it is, the Chancel with its high altar is a wonderful chapel, as those of us who attend Sunday Evensong can attest.

                                                                                                                   Sybel Laird

Dear Editor

The correspondence on the positioning of the Altar in St Faith's - Nave Altar versus High Altar - in the February issue of “Faith Matters” was both illuminating and thought provoking.  I am reminded of the confusion and distress Christ's disciples must have felt after the Crucifixion; who after three years of intense fellowship thought they had lost their beloved leader.  But had they?  Any change is a loss of some kind as all the letters indicate. However I would like to say that the Christian Church has never been static, all through the centuries changes have been made to the church building, i.e., arches were imported from the Middle East, spires from other places.  How have services evolved and developed from Byzantine Christianity (Orthodoxy) to Roman Catholic to now?  While I agree that our church building is an ancient and sacred place of worship, I am also wondering how many changes were made when the present church was built on the site of the old wooden one?  And why did our predecessors remove the original stone staircase to the tower?

Mrs Legg's excellent letter created a visual image that has had my "little grey cells" working overtime.  I feel there might be an alternative view to the visual image.  That the Altar in the Nave is in the central body part of Christ, "the Heart" and thus the Outstretched Arms of Christ are both inviting and enfolding His followers to be in the Heart of Communion with God (I think Fr David said something to this effect).  Christian’s journey begins with our feet as stated, when a person or child enters a church.  Belief in Christ I think starts in the thought process (the Head) the wondering or searching for God, and develops into the love which is more to do with what is called the heart; the Spirit.  So that the high Altar, the symbol of the Christ Head, is the invitation to contemplate and meditate on the Almighty, while the centre is where we are fed and nurtured in body and spirit.  Thus in my view each of us have our individual special relationship with Christ in the centre as well as with one another when we gather around the Altar for Communion.  Gathering around the Altar very much reminded me of being present at the last supper; around the table.  (Though I feel sure the women served but were not present at the meal. But that is another story).

In my personal experience, in the Armenian Orthodox church the Priest and Server bring the communion down from the High Altar to the people.  People come to receive communion in the Nave of the Church, no one is expected to kneel although some do; on the floor.  And when I attended a full funeral Mass in a little village in France, again the Communion was brought down from the High Altar to the people in the Nave.  The congregation walked up to the Priest and received the Host standing.  In these two denominations, the Altar is placed higher than the ground level.  On reflection I now see the symbolism of these two very different denominations as very much linked to each other and to the Body of Christ.  In other words Christ is manifest among the people when the Host is brought to the people. Now I wonder why our forefathers developed such a separation from the people.  Perhaps someone could enlighten me.

However in both denominations the candles are always alight at the high Altar and in each church there is an orderly process when walking up to receive the Communion, just as we do in our church when we go up to the High Altar.

I am very much Orthodox in my beliefs and dislike change, however I have found that sometimes changes challenge me to further explore my Spiritual development.

                                                            Carmen Stuart

Sir,

It might help your correspondent (“Faith Matters” March 2006) with her metaphor of Christ’s Body and the plan of the church building, if she were to equate the new placement of the altar with the Sacred Heart, the Crux of the matter!  Surely one can change the situation of one’s dining table.  It is the Food of Life on offer that is the prime consideration.

                                                                                                       M J Medley

Dear Editor,

After reading the letters in the March “Faith Matters” I would like to add my support to Ally Wilson's comments.  I fully agree that going up to the High Altar is something special.  We are often in the church to other services and events - coffee mornings, exhibitions, hunger lunches, but never are invited to 'draw near' except in the Communion service, so it has a very special significance.  Please restore it.                                                                                       Hilary Headon

Dear Editor,

I have been going to St. Faith’s for over 30 years and am very disappointed.  I do not like the Altar in the centre of the church.  Having it there takes up a lot of space.  Also it does not look right with the choir at the back.  This will not get more people coming to church.  If anything its turning them away.  We like to kneel at the main Altar for communion.  So please put it back to the original arrangement.                                                                                                                 Anon

 Dear Editor,

Further to last month’s correspondence on “The Altar Trial”, may we say how much we appreciated the re-siting of the altar for that first trial period.  It gave us a feeling that the Lord was coming to meet us in the body of the Church to encourage each of us to be aware of his presence among us at all times and in all situations.  Maybe we should remember that Jesus instructed his disciples to prepare a table in an upper room in an ordinary house for the last supper and there he taught them the meaning of the bread and wine at that very first Eucharist.  Would it not be our loss if we had doubts about taking communion because the church furniture had been rearranged?  After the bombing of Coventry Cathedral many members of the congregation met in the ruins to worship and partake in the Eucharist.  Surely if our St Faith’s suffered such a catastrophe from fire or whatever, we would contrive to meet as God’s family either in the ruins, or our Church Hall, or would we be too conscious of cardinal points?  Whatever the ultimate decision may be, we pray that the Holy Spirit will bind us ever closer together as part of God’s family here in Havant.                                             Ken & Mary Bracher

Dear Editor,

It spoils the effect and meaning – especially in an old church.  It is wonderful to sit in the church to look straight towards the altar – in the SANCTUARY.  All look towards Jesus – the choir each side sing together and people going towards the altar are surrounded by music - wonderful to be standing or kneeling to receive our Lord’s blessing of wine (HIS blood shed for us) and the bread (HIS body given for us) it is thus a SANCTUARY – not a table for people to stand around – when they walk up slowly and contentedly towards the man JESUS - God’s son - looking at HIM as He looks down on us.                                                                              Sue Clay

Dear Editor,

In reply to letters in the February magazine, most significantly is the taking part in the Eucharist.  To me the last supper is more important than where or when.  From a practical point of view I prefer the Altar in the Nave as there are no steps to negotiate and those who cannot kneel feel more part of the congregation.  However, how do the choir feel?  Do they feel sidelined?  As a comparative newcomer, I should like to take this opportunity to say I have found it easy to fit in with St Faith’s congregation.                                                 S J Shuttlewood

Dear Editor,

I would like to thank the clergy and the PCC for their brave decision to step out in faith, while allowing me to receive in faith.  A few years ago I stood before Da Vinci’s ‘Last Supper’ in Milan.  A profoundly moving experience.  It depicts Christ sat in the centre of ordinary and fallible men, who with a rippling out effect, grasp the awful enormity of what was to come.  The supper guests might have been Lords, Kings or politicians.  The venue might have been a fine hall or banqueting suite.  Instead Jesus dined in a simple upstairs room, with poor fishermen and unpopular tax collectors.  Hardly the elite of society or the plushest of surroundings!  Yet Jesus wanted to be at the heart of these humble folk. He wanted to draw them to himself and share his final sacrament with them.  It was an intimate invitation and it still is.  So does it matter?  Whether at the high altar, in the nave or out on East Street, Christ’s invitation to ‘draw near and receive’ springs from his deep love for us, wherever and whoever we are.  We are the Peter, James and John of today. We are the ordinary few, with no real right to be there except for the amazing truth that Jesus chose us first.  If the altar can no longer be at the physical centre of the church, may it always be at the centre of our hearts.

Yours in Him,                                                                                                                    Marie Dunford

Dear Colin,

I sincerely hope that the PCC will think long and hard about the trial of the nave altar and not feel helplessly swayed by the views of those whose simple task is to defend what has long been in place (Correspondence column, “Faith Matters”, March 2006).  Far more difficult is the task of presenting an alternative view highlighting the importance of supporting initiatives that embrace the need for change and drive a progressive church.  Only by doing this will we stand a chance of attracting new people into the church whose role will be to shape and maintain Christian worship into the future.  These days the church is very much a modern business and, like all modern businesses, it cannot afford to stand still if it is to succeed.  Change is the one true constant and the nave altar is an outstanding example of the kind of progressive initiative that will take the church forward and therefore deserves to be given more time.  Feedback suggests that the altar trial has been questionable, however let’s be conscious that feedback should allow us the opportunity to modify rather than provide an excuse to abandon.  I would be delighted if we were to move forward with our nave altar…and I suspect there are others who feel the same. 

The Case for the Nave Altar Arrangement.  For many (I refer here to both the existing and potential ‘customer base’) the high altar is uncomfortably hierarchical and intimidating, somehow presenting the church as controlling, autocratic and not representative of the warm and shared experience that people seek.  Our Lord Jesus Christ on the other hand was not only the embodiment and voice of God but also a true leader who, rather than dictating, sought to gather people around him at his own level so he could sensitively and effectively preach and discuss the word of God.  Why therefore should we not use the centre of the church as a focal point in celebration of the fact that God speaks to us, listens to us and resides at the centre of our life?  Why also should we not take communion at this central point?  And why above all else should we not warmly applaud something that has sought to change the ‘stuffy’ status quo and become an important element of our church environment - an environment that must present itself as more open, more sociable and less intimidating if we are to grow its congregation and maintain its place in people’s lives.

                                                                                                                                         Jeremy Toole

Dover Revisited

Dear Colin,

Another most interesting article from Roger (“Faith Matters” February), this time about wartime Dover and someone for whom I have high regard.  I was reminded – not that I needed reminding – of someone else for whom I have a higher personal regard, who was also in Dover at that time.  She was sixteen and a half, in the ATS and stationed in Dover.  She and her sister, one year older, had a year previously enlisted in the ATS.  Together they had gone to the Army Recruiting Office at the Victoria Hall Portsmouth, where after a medical examination they were sworn in by the recruiting sergeant and given the King’s Shilling.  She well remembers taking shelter in a trench during the almost ritual shelling from the German guns across the Channel.  Vera Lynn may well have been singing whilst she was sheltering!

Who was she?  My wife, Peggy.                                                                                                       JB

PS.  She wasn’t very keen on me writing this – and censored it!

(The ATS – Auxiliary Territorial Service – was the Women’s branch of the British Army during World War II)

Young Believers

Congratulations to the Young Believers Youth Club and all concerned with the presentation of such a lively and meaningful Family Service at the beginning of Lent.  Their enthusiasm augers well for the future of young people at St Faith’s.  We look forward to their next presentation

                                                                                                                                                                           Ken & Mary Bracher 

Notice outside a North London Church:

WANTED – WORKERS FOR GOD – PLENTY OF OVERTIME

The Library

The recent questionnaire elicited 19 replies, several of which indicated that they did not envisage using the library if it continued.  To make it worthwhile we would have to spend several hundred pounds on new books.  In view of more pressing calls on our church funds, we do not consider this expenditure to be justified.  So the library will close.  Those who kindly donated books are invited to reclaim them on the 23 April after the 9.30am service.  Any remaining thereafter will be sold for the benefit of church funds at the May Coffee Morning.  There is a good range of inexpensive religious books available at the Beacon Shop in the Meridian Centre and at SPCK in North Street, Chichester.  If you wish to reclaim books and are unable to collect, please contact one of us:  Michael Laird (9247 2489) or Ken & Mary Bracher (9248 0608).                                                                                                       

Fairer Shares

Dear Everyone!

I am writing to every parish in the diocese to express my enormous sense of gratitude that – yet again – Portsmouth has the best record for payment of Fairer Shares in the Church of England.  The latest figures confirm that in 2005 we raised 99.86% of our share (leaving us only £4,851 short of the full total).  This is a great achievement, and bears witness to the diligence of parish treasurers, clergy and other officers, and to the generosity of our congregations.  Well done!  With all good wishes and the assurance of my prayers.

Yours sincerely,

Kenneth Stevenson (Bishop of Portsmouth) (and back in action – albeit slowly!)

 

Voice Training

Dear Colin,

Last December in “Faith Matters”, Hilary Deadman in an interesting letter posed questions about the use of microphones and suggested that perhaps some voice training practice was needed.  I agree entirely with Hilary.

I suggest, for voice training remember P.E.P; projection, enunciation, pace.  Look out at the audience and project your voice, speak clearly and take your time.  For a practice session the speaker could stand at the lectern (microphone off) with a listener standing towards the back of the church near the font.  Between them a satisfactory, audible, clear delivery could be obtained.  Just a suggestion.

Yours sincerely,                                                                                                                   John Bradey

"War of the Worlds - The Crusades"

In 1228 Emperor Frederick II of Hohenstaufen arrived in Acre with an army of some 11,000.  He had fallen out with Pope Gregory IX who had excommunicated him for leaving his army when taken ill.  He was no soldier but a brilliant diplomat.  The Moslems were fighting among themselves and were in no state to go to war with the Crusaders.  Taking advantage of this, Frederick managed to broker a peace in 1229 whereby Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Nazareth and much of Galilee would be returned to the Christians, with the Moslems having an enclave in Jerusalem of the Dome of the Rock and the Mosque of al-Aqsa.

In 1244 10,000 Turkish horsemen swept in to capture Jerusalem.  The Sixth and final Crusade was led by King Louis IX of France.  He was a man of great religious fervour but also given to outbursts of unbridled anger.  He set sail in 1249 with the intention of attacking Egypt, the weakest of the Moslem countries.  He landed at the mouth of the Nile with only part of his army, the rest having been delayed by a heavy storm.  Against advice, he foolishly attacked the Moslems but they were poorly led and retired, leaving Louis to enter Damietta which had been deserted by the citizens when they saw their own army flee.   After a stay of several months in the town, Louis moved his army cautiously forward, crossing canals in route until they came to the formidable obstacle of a river which was a branch of the Nile.  The Egyptians were camped on the other side.  An Egyptian offered to show the Crusaders an easy way across in exchange for money and the first group got over without difficulty, catching the Egyptians asleep in their camp.  They immediately took flight into the neighbouring city of Mansourah where the Crusaders rashly pursued them without waiting for the bulk of their force which was still across the river.  The Crusaders were being killed in the narrow streets and alleys of the city and had to withdraw.  The Egyptians now had the upper hand.  They were able to destroy boats bringing much needed supplies to the Crusaders, who were ravaged by illness.  King Louis had no choice but to surrender his whole army.   There was not enough food to feed them all, so their captives’ beheaded 300 prisoners each day until eventually Louis secured their release by paying a huge ransom and surrendering Damietta.  He sailed home on 24 April 1254.

There occurred an event at this time which completely changed the balance of power in the Holy Land.  It started with a palace revolution in Cairo when a group of slaves named Mameluks gained power.  The Mameluks were Turkish, brought to Egypt as slaves, and taught to kill with ruthless efficiency.  They had no family ties, no real patriotism but would obey orders without question.  They quickly ousted the sultans and soon were in total command.  Following the debacle of King Louis, the Franks in the Holy Land lost the will to continue and bitter fighting broke out between different Christian factions.  The Italian states and the Venetians controlled the seas and on land the Mongols in the north and the Mameluks in the south were at war, with the Franks in danger of being crushed between them.  There now comes a curious twist in our narrative because the Mongols were ruled by a man name Mongka, whose mother and wife were both Christians.

In 1254 the Franks of Antioch made an alliance with the Mongols against the Moslems.  An enormous army of Mongols swept all before them in an avalanche of death; first destroying the Moslem Sect of Assassins and then capturing Baghdad, where they murdered 80,000 inhabitants, sparing only the Christians who sheltered in the churches.  The Mongol hordes then moved into Syria with unspeakable cruelty.  (The ruler of one city which refused to surrender was made to eat flesh cut from his own body until he died!).  Aleppo held out for less than a week until it was captured, when all the inhabitants were murdered to a man but all the Christians were spared.  On to Damascas which opened its gates to the invaders and the inhabitants were spared.  Soon the Mongols were heading for Egypt but suddenly Mongka died and the Mongols became divided as a power struggle developed over the succession.  The Franks suddenly changed sides, realising that the balance of power was changing, and allowed a powerful Mameluk (Egyptian) army through its territory into Syria where it destroyed the depleted Mongol army.

In 1260 a new name comes into our narrative in Baibars, a Mameluk who had become Sultan of Egypt.  He was an outstanding soldier who at first proved a good diplomat, despite harbouring distrust of the Franks for their support of the Mongols.  He agreed with a man named John of Jaffa, with whom he got on well, to exchange Christian prisoners for some Moslem ones.  However, the two great Military Orders of Christendom, the Templars and the Hospitallers, refused to release their prisoners because they were skilled craftsmen.  The consequences for the world were appalling.  The Egyptians led by Baibars marched on the Franks, capturing first Caesarea, which he razed to the ground but spared the inhabitants, then to Haifa, where the inhabitants were not so fortunate, being slaughtered to a man.  In a highly successful campaign all the Templar fortresses were taken including Arsuf, defended by 300 Knights of St John who were all killed or put into slavery.  Finally, Baibars, tired of campaigning took his troops back to Egypt.  He was to dominate the scene until his death in 1277.  Many were his victories, excessive was his cruelty and ruthlessness which shocked even the Moslems of those violent times.  Perhaps his greatest victory was the capture of Antioch in 1268, after two centuries of Christian rule.  With great barbarity, the citizens including women and children were systematically murdered within the locked gates of the city, with virtually no survivors.

In 1271, Prince Edward arrived from England with 1,000 men but achieved very little in the next 18 months.  Eventually a truce was signed which lasted 11 years.  Edward returned to England, having almost being assassinated, to find his father had died and he was now king.  In 1277, Baibars died from drinking poison and was succeeded after some two years of disputes by Qalawun who then continued the fight against the Franks.  In 1281 the Mongols, assisted by the Knights of St John, fought a largely inconclusive battle with Qalawun.  In 1287 an earthquake in northern Syria badly damaged the walls of the Christian port of Lattakieh.  Qalawun took advantage of the weakened defences and captured the port.  In 1289 he captured the important port of Tripoli.    Eventually, the Christians concluded a truce with Qalawun which lasted 10 years.  In 1290 Qalawun died suddenly to be succeeded, after the usual struggle with rival claimants, by his son Khalil who eventually drove the Christians from the Holy Land.  The Crusades were finally over but to this day hatred and enmity live on in the Holy Land.                                                                                                                           Roger Bryant

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The preacher for Sunday next will be found hanging on the notice board in the porch

News from Nottingham and Derby

As I climbed into the pulpit of Derby Cathedral, I felt rather more apprehensive than usual, knowing that seven people from college (three of them ordained) were sitting in the congregation with virtual scorecards.  One of the questions people often ask is how we learn to preach sermons and whether our preaching is tested; the answer is that we learn by hair-raising and very public experience and we are tested by each other and by our tutors.  And so for the last few weeks, four of us students have been visiting each other’s churches to hear each other preach.  The first week, we went to a very high (and extremely cold) church to hear Andrew preach about Candlemas.  The following week, we went to a very lively (and thankfully warmer) church to hear Chris preach about the beginning of Jesus’ own preaching career.  And the third week was a double-whammy: they came to hear me in the morning and then later we went to Choral Evensong at a church in the centre on Nottingham, where Jenny preached about the Beatitudes.  We learned a lot from hearing each other’s sermons and it was also very interesting to see the churches where other students have been on placement.  One of the most amusing features was that at each service the person leading it told the congregation that the sermon was being assessed and each congregation got very excited, and was then rather disappointed when scorecards were not publicly waved at the end of the sermon.  At the service where I did my ‘assessed preach’, I was also the deacon for the first time.  I have learned how to be a sub-deacon (which is a non-speaking part), but the new role of deacon gave me extra scope for getting things wrong.  One of the deacon’s main roles is to read the gospel reading.  At the beginning of the service, the deacon goes at the front of the procession and holds the gospel book up in the air as the procession goes all the way round the cathedral – quite a test of endurance for my arms, but an important reminder to the congregation that the Bible belongs to everyone.  Before reading the gospel in the service, I had to carry the gospel book half way down the cathedral in a procession.  I really enjoyed reading the gospel and preaching on it straight afterwards and it reminded me what a privilege it is to read and preach God’s word – anywhere, but especially in a cathedral.  As deacon, I had other duties in the service, including distributing the bread and blessing children – two things I had never done before and which I found very moving.  But the most terrifying bit was at the very end, when I had to sing – unaccompanied and without a microphone – “Go in peace to love and serve the Lord”.  In all the general stress of preaching and being a debut deacon, I had forgotten that I was nervous, but my voice hadn’t, so it came out rather wobbly and I was rewarded with pitying smiles from some of the boy choristers, who would of course have done it much better than I did.   Back at college, I have also been heavily involved in leading services, as it was my team’s turn to lead college morning prayer for a week.  For this, we decided to video the week’s New Testament readings in advance, which took us to some exotic locations, such as the local cemetery.  To add dramatic effect, we decided to film some of it with the reader walking along, which caused great hilarity as we grappled with the logistics of co-ordinating the reader walking forwards with the camera operator and human autocue (person holding a huge sheet of paper with the reading on it) walking backwards, in what felt like a force 10 gale.  The final effect was worth it, but I doubt that our congregation appreciated how many attempts it had taken us to get it right.  The following week, I led our Thursday evening communion service, which is our main college service of the week, because we don’t have services on Sundays.  Obviously, as a non-ordained person I did not preside (one of the tutors did), but I had to plan and co-ordinate everything with my team and be the up-front master of ceremonies.  It was the first time I had ever led a communion service and I really enjoyed it, although I think I had my eyes glued to the clock for most of the service, as timing is crucial if you want to avoid upsetting the kitchen staff by overrunning into supper time.  On the academic front this half term, we have been studying Old Testament Law (i.e. the first five books of the Old Testament).  As a former lawyer, I find it particularly interesting to compare Old Testament Law with modern law: it is so very different, but was designed for the same purpose, namely to provide relevant rules to live by.  My attempts to learn Hebrew also began to pay off, as you see a whole extra dimension to everything if you know a bit about how Hebrew works.  For example, Biblical Hebrew does not really distinguish between the past and future tenses as we do, but instead distinguishes between completed and uncompleted (continuing) action; apparently the wandering Israelites lived so much in the present that it wasn’t important for them to make a big distinction between what had happened and what had not yet happened.  Extraordinary as this can seem to us, it does help to explain why the Old Testament contains a lot that appears to us to be ambiguous.

The final thing to report is that in the course of a cassock-buying excursion I tried on a clerical shirt and dog collar for the first time – quite an interesting sight to see in the mirror and it will take some getting used to, but that’s only one of many huge changes and new experiences in the life of an ordinand.                                                           Rachel Phillips (niece of Alan Hakim)

Roadshow Comes to Havant

From Country Parks to buses, occupational therapy to mobile libraries – there are many services out there which we all use, but it can often be confusing to know who provides what and who to contact to find out about them. 

These roadshows will be specifically aimed at older residents, so if you’re an OAP yourself or have an older friend or relative and have any queries at all about services in the area, we’ll have lots of information to hand as well as ideas on how to stay healthy and active.

The roadshow will be at The Meridian Centre, Havant on 11^th April 2006 10am–4pm.

For any queries about this event, please call the Hampshire County Council Information Centre on 0800 028 0888.