June 2016

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Copy deadline for the July/August issue of Rochester Link is 4pm on 17 June 2016. Copy to: linknews@rochester.anglican.org

Reflections on Licensed Lay Ministry

see pages 6 and 7

A visit to Germany I was very grateful to our Diocese for the

award of a mini-sabbatical earlier this year. It is good to have such opportunities for re-flection and for re-energising oneself.

I wanted to visit places of significance in German Church history. As I prepared for my odyssey, I increasingly came to focus on four episodes in the history of the Church in Germany – Charlemagne, Martin Luther, J S Bach’s liturgical music for the Lutheran Church, the 19th Century Prussian Church and the German traumas of the 20th Century.

I planned a journey around Germany to focus on those as-pects. My itinerary would take me to Aachen, Cologne, Berlin, Leipzig, Wittenburg, Erfurt and Eisenach and, finally, to Neuwied in the Rhineland. All Saints, Orpington has a link with a church in Neuwied.

Space does not permit me to detail everything that I saw in Germany. In this article, I am going to share with you what I learnt and saw about Martin Luther.

I visited three towns of key importance in Martin Luther’s life: Eisenach, Erfurt and Lutherstadt Wittenberg.

Luther lodged at Eisenach when he was a schoolboy with the Cotta family. They were a wealthy family and their large Gothic town house is still in existence. Luther later referred to Eisenach as ‘meine liebe Stadt’ (my dear town).

The significance of Eisenach for the history of the Reforma-tion, however, is Luther’s protective custody in the Wart-burg, the castle, which dominates Eisenach. Luther was excommunicated and declared a heretic for refusing to re-

nounce his doctrine at the Imperial Diet. Luther’s protector, the Elector of Saxony, Frederick the Wise, arranged for Lu-ther to be kidnapped and protected in the Wartburg. Here Luther remained incognito for over a year. He grew a beard and his hair and his disguise was as Junker Jörge (Squire George). It was here that Luther translated the New Testa-ment from Greek into the vernacular. I was excited to see the cell in which the tradition is that Luther translated the New Testament. The legend has it that Luther flung his ink pot at the devil who was taunting him. The ink landed on the wooden wall and centuries of souvenir-hunters have stripped away the wood!

After Eisenach, Luther became a student at the University of Erfurt in the period of 1501–1505. After Luther entered the Augustinian monastery in Erfurt in 1505, he immersed himself in the then contemporary theology. In Erfurt, I visited both the original university building and also the Au-gustinian Monastery. They are very close to each other; it was only a short step for Luther to go from the university to the monastery.

Luther filled a temporary position as a Lecturer in Philoso-phy in the new university in Wittenberg in 1508. In 1511, he was head-hunted for a permanent position and moved back to the City where he was to remain for the rest of his life. The nine years in Erfurt and the one year in Witten-berg turned Luther into a skilful young scholar who also happened to be a conscientious Augustinian friar.

When Luther first came to Wittenberg, he lived in modest quarters on the third floor of the Augustinian Monastery at the very eastern end of the city. He taught at the university, situated in the castle church at the farthest, western end of Wittenberg. It is a walk of about half a mile from one

end of Wittenberg to the other. Wittenberg has two main streets, which run parallel to the Elba River on its northern shore, which shapes the topography of the city.

In due course, Luther began to preach regularly to the townsfolk in the parish church. Nearby is the market place and opposite the market place is the grand residence of Lucas Cranach, the painter, printmaker and friend of Luther.

Beyond the market place is the castle church where much of the formal instruction of the university was held in Lu-ther’s day. The castle was a new building completed in 1509. The Ruler of Wittenberg was determined to have a residence appropriate to his status as a Prince of the Em-pire. The castle church was home not only to the university but to a teeming array of altars and religious offices. In 1517 the accounts show that 9,000 masses were said at the various altars and 40,000 candles were lit in honour of the dead!

It was a joy to walk through Wittenberg in March in the late winter!

It was 1519 that Luther, who was an obscure monk and academic, challenged the teaching and practice of the Church on the matter of Indulgences. Whether he pinned his 95 theses to the door of the castle church in Witten-berg cannot be confirmed but he set in train events which changed the shape of the Church and of Europe forever. I left the towns associated with Luther profoundly moved by thoughts of him. I came to the view that we must thank God for this visionary reformer. At an earlier stage in my thinking on the Church of England, I wanted to underline the thought that our church was but a part of the Western Church. I still think that but, in addition, I now want to emphasise that the C of E was profoundly influenced by Luther (as well as other reformers of course) as ultimately was the Catholic Church. Five hundred years later, we still worship and pray and think in terms very much influenced by Dr Luther. I am now proud to have on my bookcase a Playmobil model of Martin Luther!

By the Rev Brian McHenryEisenach

Playmobil model of Luther

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What’s On June 2016 BURRSWOOD1 June Exhibition Launch from 6:30pm - 8:30pm at Burrswood Orangery, Groombridge, Tunbridge Wells, Kent, TN3 9PY. Be the first to see a range of paintings and photographs depicting Burrswood in varying seasons by local artists. Enjoy a glass of fizz and delicious can-apes. Tickets £20. Call 01892 865982 SEVENOAKSSt Luke’s Church, Eardley Road, Sevenoaks, Lunchtime Recitals, lasting 30 minutes. Every Wednesday at 12:30pm. Please join us admission free. Refreshments available from 12 noonJUNE1 Fumi Otsuki – Violin, Alessandro Viale – Piano8 Lily Blackmore - Flute15 Chris Lawton – OrganThese Recitals form part of the Sevenoaks Summer Festival22 The Pupils of Knole Academy29 Solefield School Boys’ Chamber ChoirFor future organ recitals, see www.organrecitals.comBURRSWOOD2 - 30 June - Beautiful Burrswood Exhibition at Burrswood Exhibition Corridor 10:00am to 4:00pm daily. An Exhibition of photographs and paintings celebrating the beauty of Burrswood. Entry free. Donations welcome. CHELSFIELD4 June Annual Summer Fete from 12.00pm - 4:30pm. St Martin, Chelsfield, Skibbs Lane, Chelsfield, Orpington BR6 7RH. Fun for all the family. www.stmartinchelsfield.org.uk WALDERSLADE5 June Steve Legg will be performing his unique and funny blend of dangerous escapes, comedy and daft magic at the Arts Cafe, St William’s Church, Walderslade Village. Doors open 6:00pm for a 6:30pm start, finishing at 8:00pm. Entrance is free.LOWER HALSTOW10 June Queen’s 90th Birthday at Memorial Hall from 7:30pm - 9:30pm. Sing-A-Long and Snippets. Do join us as we sing songs from the past and hear snippets from village life in juxtaposition with the Queen’s experiences. All welcome, tea and coffee.BEXLEY 11 June A concert to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Friends of St Mary at St Mary, Bexley at 7:00pm. The pro-gramme will feature clarinet, organ and flute solos as well as traditional songs. Tickets £8 to include a glass of wine can be reserved from Sheila Thompson roger_sheila@talktalk.netBROMLEY11 June Hammig String Quartet perform in St Mary’s Church, College Road, Bromley BR1 3QG at 7:30pm. Music by Beethoven and Haydn, with interval refresh-ments. Admission on the door £8 (£6). Further informa-tion on 020 8464 1239.CHEVENING11-12 June HM The Queen’s 90th Birthday – Flowers and Exhibition at St Botolph’s Church, Chevening, TN14 6HG. The exhibition will be enhanced with flowers, arranged by St Botolph’s expert flower arrangers for the Confirmation Service, taken by the Bishop of Rochester, on the Sunday evening. The church will be open to visitors from 12.00 Noon to 4:00pm. LOWER HALSTOW11 June Family Fun on the Recreation Ground from 3:00pm - 7:00pm. Fun filled afternoon with live music, barbeque, children’s rides, bar, bouncy castle and more.STROOD11 June Jumble Sale at St Nicholas Church, High Street, Strood at 2:00pm. Admission 50p.BROMLEY12 June FREE Sunday afternoon concert at 3:00pm at St Mary’s Church, College Road, Bromley BR1 3QG. Suzuki trained children aged from three years upwards perform on violin, piano and cello to a packed house. Further information on 020 8464 1239.COBHAM12 June Garden Safari from 11:30am - 6:00pm. Celebrating the Queen’s Official Birthday. Details 01474 814560GILLINGHAM12 June An afternoon with The Rt Hon Ann Widdecombe DSG entitled “Life & Times of Ann Widdecombe” 2:00pm. Tickets £6, to include a cream tea, available from Hilda 01634 932135 or The Parish Office 01634 853459 gillinghamparishchurch@gmail.com

LOWER HALSTOW12 June Cream Teas and Those Two Ladies at St Margaret’s Church from 2:30pm - 4:30pm. Service will close our weekend of celebration. SEVENOAKS12th June: Come and Sing Vivaldi’s ‘Gloria’ at The Drive Methodist Church, Sevenoaks, TN13 2AB at 6:30pm. Admission free - retiring collection. Contact Valerie Ruddle 01732 450355 for further details.BROMLEY15 June “A Stroll Through North Bromley”, led by London Guide, Peter Anderson, starts from St Andrew’s Church, Burnt Ash Lane, Bromley, BR1 5AF at 11.00 a.m. It finishes at St Mary’s Church, College Road, Bromley BR1 3QG with a light lunch of soup, sandwiches and cake at 1:00pm. The cost, including lunch, is £5 (payable on the day). All proceeds go to St Mary’s Lighting Fund. Further information from 020 8464 1239.BROMLEY18 June Bromley Boy Singers perform in St Mary’s Church, College Road, Bromley BR1 3QG at 7:30pm. The internationally renowned choirs of the Bromley Boy Singers bring their unique talents back to their home base. Admission is £8 (£6), children free. Further infor-mation on 020 8464 1239.GILLINGHAM18 June Elevate Dance Company at 8:00pm at St Matthew’s Church, South Gillingham, Community Centre, ME8 0NX. A collection of contemporary dance to challenge and inspire. Adults £6, children under 15 £3. More information on 0173 2845550 annechlin@yahoo.co.ukGILLINGHAM18-20 June Flower Festival at St Augustine’s Church, Rock Avenue, Gillingham. A celebration of flowers and memorabilia, including the opportunity to see baptism and wedding registers. Saturday 10:00am - 5:00pm, Sunday 12:00noon - 5:00pm, Monday 10:00am - 1:00pm. Further information from Andrew Gray on 01634 571589.GRAVESEND 18 June Summer Fair from 10:00am to 2:00pm at St George’s Church, Church St, Gravesend DA11 0DJ. Free entry. Free children’s activities and free face painting. Other activities include BBQ, cakes, bottle stall, raffle, DVD’s, books, games and much more.LAMBERHURST18 June Aether Ensemble at 7:30pm at Lamberhurst Village Hall. For more details visit www.lamberhurstmusic.co.ukYALDING18 June The Baroque Singers of Tunbridge Wells will be giving their summer concert at 7:30pm at St Peter & St Paul, Yalding. Theme is “Stories of love”. The concert will be accompanied by period instru-ments and directed by Anthony Purnell. Tickets are £10 (£5 for under 16s), from Yalding Post Office or www.ticketsource.co.uk/baroquesingersBURRSWOOD25 June Open Air Theatre – A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Burrswood Garden. Gardens open for pic-nics 5:00pm. Performance 7:00pm. Tickets: £17.50 Adult £10 Child, £50 Family ticket (2 adults and up to 3 children). Pimms and champagne bar avail-able. NB The performance will go ahead whatever the weather! Call 01892 865985 for tickets or email fundraising@burrswood.org.ukERITH 25 June Patronal Open Day at St John the Baptist, West Street, DA8 1AN from 10:00am-3:30pm. For church tours, brass rubbing, quizzes, refreshments. 4:00pm BCP Choral Evensong followed by afternoon tea.STROOD25 June Community Fete celebrating the Queen’s Birthday at St Nicholas Church Grounds, High Street, Strood from 11:00am - 3:00pm. Bouncy Castle, stalls and refreshments.BROMLEY26 June at 10:30am. Celebrate 140 years of Mothers’ Union with St Mary’s Church, College Road, Bromley BR1 3QG during their Family Communion Service. The Preacher is Julie Jameson, President of Rochester Diocese MU. Free admission. Refreshments follow the service. Further information on 020 8464 1239.

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I have just read a book called Start with Why*, which challenges people who are trying to

develop a business or run an organisation. Now it doesn’t make reference to the Church, but I think there are some useful ideas that we might take on board. Simon Sinek, the author, suggests that people often get caught up with the ‘what’ (the end product), and the ‘how’ (what we have got to do to get there), but those two things should not be the priority.

I want to pick up two pieces of Scripture which should help us re-focus on the ‘why’. One, of course, is the great commission in Matthew 28. Verse 19 says, “Go and make disciples” and refers to baptism, but it is verse 20 that I think we should perhaps be more focused on: “and teaching them to observe everything that I have commanded you.”

That is the why! Jesus told us to teach all nations, those in our country, those in our towns, those in our parishes, those up the street from us, to obey what Jesus had taught us. And what did he teach us? How to love one another, to serve, to bear fruit, to love your enemies, not to be anxious about tomorrow – sadly these seem a long way away from our churches, the organised services. It is good to remember the ‘why’ that lies behind this, so that the church building is a place to come and gather, to break bread and to worship the Lord.

Yet it is a place where we can provide hospitality and demonstrate very effectively exactly what it means to love our neighbour, to bear fruit, to serve.

We will be meeting people who are under pressure and are anxious about their lives, relationships and working scenarios. We have something to show them and say to them.

In the longer ending of Mark’s Gospel, chapter 16, Jesus gave a clear impression of what was on his heart with regards to those who follow him. Verse 15 states, “And he said to them ‘Go into all the world and proclaim the Good News to the whole creation’”. This too is very powerful stuff: I wonder what it means to the whole creation. The Church has sometimes struggled to engage with the challenges facing creation, not just the people but the environment,

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Start with Why

Bishop James’ DiaryJune 2016 Wednesday 1 9:30am Confirmation - La Providence Rochester Saturday 4 - All Day Deanery Visit - SevenoaksSunday 12 Deanery

Sunday 5 10:30am Confirmation - Halstead St Margaret Wednesday 8 2:00pm 1st Year Training Incumbents - Worth AbbeySaturday 11 9:30am Diocesan Synod - Rochester 5:30pm Confirmation - Gillingham St BarnabasSunday 12 10:30am Confirmation - Seal St Lawrence 3:15pm Evensong - Rochester Cathedral 6:30pm Confirmation - CheveningMonday 13 10:00am Turning Up the Volume - LondonTuesday 14 All Day Bishop Staff Meeting - Rochester

1:00pm Church Schools Festival Service – Rochester Cathedral 7:30pm Kent Workplace Mission Trustees Meeting - LarkfieldWednesday 15 1:00pm Church Schools Festival Service - Rochester CathedralThursday 16 9:30am Safeguarding Training - Canterbury 1:00pm Church Schools Festival Service - Rochester Cathedral 7:30pm Confirmation - Cobham DeaneryFriday 17 1:00pm Church Schools Festival Service - Rochester CathedralSaturday 18 5:30pm Diocesan Farewell Event for Canon Jean Kerr - RochesterSunday 19 10:30am Confirmation - Bromley St Peter & St Paul 3:15pm Installation of the Dean of Rochester - Rochester CathedralMonday 20 All Day Ordinands Day - Rochester

Tuesday 21 2:30pm Finance Committee - Rochester Diocese 5:30pm Garden Party - BishopscourtWednesday 22 8:00am Kent Church Leaders - Maidstone 5:30pm Service of Celebration - Rochester Cathedral 6:30pm Garden Party - BishopscourtThursday 23 12:00pm Clean Sheet Awards Ceremony - Oxted 5:30pm Garden Party - BishopscourtFriday 24 11:30am Retired Clergy Service - Rochester Cathedral 12:30pm Garden Party - Bishopscourt 5:30pm Garden Party - BishopscourtSunday 26 6:30pm Confirmation - Tunbridge Wells King Charles the MartyrMonday 27 4:00pm Meeting with Black Majority Church Leaders - LondonWednesday 29 9:00am School Assembly - Kings Farm Primary School Gravesend

and some people will say that we get bogged down on environmental issues. But as Christians we should have a common concern, and one of the Five Marks of Mission states: ‘To strive to safeguard the integrity of creation and sustain and renew the life of the world’. Again this is surely why we do the stuff we do or should be doing, and it should be a benchmark on which we measure all our activities. How we do it is the challenge that faces us, and what we do with all the demands upon individual Christian men and women and the churches they are called to serve is important – but the ‘why’ is the really powerful stuff that should drive us,

particularly in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Unfortunately in many churches the danger is that the why gets completely left out and so they find themselves worrying about the maintenance of the building or the beauty of the stained glass and how nothing can change, while surrounded by people with many social problems that really should be addressed first.

* Start with Why: How great leaders inspire everyone to take action by Simon Sinek (Published by Portfolio, 2009)

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Official opening for ‘Men in Sheds’

Table Top Talk FOR BLOKES

Bishop James and Mayor of Bexley Sybil Camsey opened a new Men in Sheds at Christ Church, Erith, a partnership between Age UK Bex-ley and the Diocese of Rochester.

The ‘Men in Sheds’ project seeks to engage and support men by giving them the oppor-tunity to make and grow things themselves while socialising with other men. The main aim of the project is to reduce social isola-tion, improve confidence and well-being and enable members to become actively involved in their community.

In Bexley, the men will develop a communi-ty garden behind Christ Church and set up a furniture recycling enterprise which will ben-efit the local environment and local people. Other activities in the premises will provide social opportunities for all members of the community, helping to promote social cohe-sion and wellbeing.

Paul Goulden, Chief Executive of Age UK Bexley said “This Men In Sheds workshop is the result of many months of discussions and planning with Caroline Clarke, the Dioc-esan Community Engagement Advisor, and the Rev Julie Conalty of Christ Church, Erith, and we at Age UK Bexley are so pleased to have found such a willing and forward-look-ing partner to work with. I have to thank the Rev Julie Conalty and Caroline Clarke for all their hard work in getting us up and running – the project will benefit the older men in the borough as well as add to the life of the church and the wider community.”The Rev Julie Conalty said “I first heard about Men in Sheds projects about 5 years

ago and am thrilled that we have been able to partner with Age UK in this way. Brilliant project.”

Della Jeffery, Age UK Bexley Development Manager said: “We are delighted.”

Keith Iles: “I like coming to the workshop, I have made a lot of friends. It gets me out of the house. I am going to come 2 days a week.”

Len Mitchell: “I am a new member. Every-body has made me feel every welcome. It gives me an enjoyment to come and mix with other men, instead of just sitting at home. They are a great bunch of people.”

Caroline Clarke said “This is another great example of what can be achieved in and for

communities when people say yes to what God is laying on their hearts, and another re-minder that with God all things are possible! It was good to work with Age UK and Christ Church, Erith, and see this project through to fruition; I would like to thank Julie for tak-ing a step of faith and offering the organi-sation a plot of land behind the church hall. 30 men are already taking part with capacity for 50, and they are overwhelmed by the generosity and love they are experiencing; it’s going to be exciting to see how God’s love works through their lives in the weeks and months to come.”

The new facility will be open between 10am and 4pm every weekday.

Caroline Clarke, Diocesan Community Engagement Advisor

As St Margaret’s men’s group we have been meeting every month for a couple of years in our local pub, the Red Start.

The evenings were great for Fellowship (and a good excuse to be out of the house for many!) but at times conversation was lack lustre and had no direction that would guide conversation towards things that re-ally mattered or enabled us to discuss our faith confidently.

During a Men’s breakfast morning we were introduced to some material that had been released by the Ugly Duckling Company in association with CVM (Christian Vision for Men); Table Talk FOR BLOKES. The blurb on the back of the box had as its aim “To pro-vide a fun place for people to begin to have meaningful conversations about things that really matter in life”.

Table Top Talk for Blokes provides 16 ques-tions on 6 topics: Lone Wolf, Total Fitness, Character, Risk & Adventure, Work, and World Changer .

As a group we took the material and over the next 6 months we introduced one of the categories into the evening. This was done in a relaxed safe environment, with no pressure on anyone to either respond or comment on the conversation that would take place.

The first time this was trialled there was apprehension, as, let’s be honest, this was

not normal behaviour for us blokes, to be sharing information, but the setting of the pub and the intake of a few beers helped.

The conversation that followed was proba-bly the best we had had in a long time, and we found that everyone was participating, finding a voice, and was keen and willing to comment on the many (and in some cases challenging) questions.

We only expected to allow about ½ hour to the activity, but found ourselves 1½ later having to draw the evening to a close as the bell for last orders had rung!

Over the following 6 months the Table Top Talk material has become a major part of the evening, to generate conversation and

to strengthen us both as individuals and as a group.

Of the 6 categories, the most challenging were probably Work...”Why do we work?, Character… What does it mean to be a man of Character?”, and the one that engaged the most was Risk and Adventure “When do we feel alive?”

Going forward we will use this materi-al again and would recommend it to any other group that is looking for a way to engage its men to come together.

We have now obtained Table top Talk for Friends, which we will introduce for the 2nd half of this year.

By the Rev Wil North

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Reflections on Licensed Lay MinistryBy Ethlyn Roy-Johnson

The introduction of LLM in Rochester Dio-cese is a ‘personal’ answered prayer and a direct response to changing tides of min-istry. An answered prayer which replied to a question I put to the then Programme Administrator as I was coming to the end of my CMT studies (Certificate in Ministe-rial Theology) which had offered me but three limited choice labels of lay ministry (Evangelist, Reader or Pastoral Assistant).

Training has been and still is engaging, challenging, to a large part theoretical

but has helped enormously in practice.

The compulsory modules especially Lead-ership, Theological Reflection and Ministry in Context opened up the wide spectrum and specialisation that ministry is rich with and offers - exposure and benefits to team, parish and ecumenical ministry, a great platform for practical theology. The Diocese’s support, tutors, engaging with other lay ministers at prayer afternoons, periodic meetings and retreats all contrib-uted positively. It did mean more essays research and projects (eek!!) but it was worth it in hindsight! The programme, which is one of continuous development, has enabled me to see my ministry and response to God’s call as progressing to another level, a more readily-accepted one within the Anglican Church.

I feel privileged that I will be able to contribute to mission in the Diocese and emerging area I live. As an LLM I am at a new juncture, willing to pursue further exploration of my ‘public ministry’ and vocation, anxious yet excited about the journey ahead, and backed by the joy and confidence of knowing that ‘He who be-gun a good work (I hope!) in me, will see it and me through to completion’, fulfilling what He has called me to be.

By Alan Mitchell

‘Be transformed by the renewing of your mind’, says the letter to the Romans.

I felt God whispering, nudging and chal-lenging me to be both ‘transformed’ and ‘renewed’, but I reached the point when I had to make a choice to do something about it. For me, the LLM course arrived at just the right moment as I began to explore early retirement and it has been a journey of refreshment and renewal for my faith and discipleship.

So I’ve enjoyed discovering new things about God, mission, the Bible, spiritual-ity, Fresh Expressions of Church. But Licensed Lay Ministry isn’t just about academic studies and training the mind. We often use the word ‘formation’ and throughout the course there is an empha-sis on ministry in context and in devel-oping the skills to reflect theologically on everything we do and are.

If you are brave enough to open yourself up to accept

God’s calling on your life, God will not just be renewing your

mind but also forming and transforming you for his ser-

vice.

One of the best parts of the course has been the shared experience of learning with different people. We are a curious bunch of prophets, apostles, teachers and pastors (or should that be eyes, ears, hands and feet?) and it looks like our future ‘ministries’ will also be very var-ied. Somehow I have been drawn into a ‘Barnabas’ role of encouraging others and I have joined the team of Vocations Ad-visers in the Diocese who meet with any-one interested in discerning God’s call. As Bishop James has said, ‘God is calling a new generation of lay leaders to be peo-ple of ministry and mission.’ All ages, all genders, all educational backgrounds . . . but hopefully hundreds of us! Maybe that could include you?

By Billy Jo O’LearySeek the Lord with all your heart and mind.’ Without knowing the destination? Sounds ludicrous? Little did I know the adventurous journey ahead . . .

My journey began early in 2013 when I at-tended an It’s your Calling day at St John, Meopham. I was an excited and hungry new(ish) Christian who had realised the reality of Jesus during an Alpha Course in 2009. I am a mother of 2, a wife of 1 and a self-employed childminder.

What was I thinking? Mostly, ‘Yeah right, you called by Jesus? Think again, you can’t do this.’ Every thought sank me low-er, then a moment of clarity, ‘Yes B, that’s right you are all those things BUT you are mine in all those things.’

During training God has proved that he knows me better than I know myself.

All I had was my new faith, the ability to buy plenty of tissues, chocolate and a desire to be obedient. (Not easy when I think I know better.)

Training allowed me the space to gain a deeper understanding of Christianity, our history and heritage. The space and en-couragement to explore my ‘calling’ and what this looked like while drawing on the power of the Holy Spirit. We didn’t know I was on a journey to become a Lay Min-ister. My trust in God’s ability has grown deeply as has my faith. Training is a trans-forming process for which God does the equipping. It’s a privileged to have met incredible people and be supported by the living God in them.

If you’re thinking about your calling I encourage you, explore God’s capabil-ity through you. He thinks you’re worth equipping and is waiting to journey with you.

The destination is eternal life after all, the journey continues...

By Neal Clifton

After months of reflection, prayer, conversations and events exploring vocations I finally enrolled for the new Foundation in Christian Ministry course, thinking that I would probably offer my-self for training as LLM and here I am having been licensed in 2015. What happened in between?

LLM training has brought me into contact with a

wonderfully rich, diverse and supportive group of people, both my fellow students and

the tutors.

It is certainly a wide-ranging programme - I enjoyed grappling with Christian ethics, theological reflection, pasto-ral ministry, leadership, and with the preaching and funeral ministry modules. Everything challenged me to look in new and enquiring ways at faith, belief, scrip-ture and my own spiritual journey. My love for Jesus has grown and deepened, and I have looked at the Bible with fresh eyes and learnt to study passages in context and relate the Gospel message to the contemporary world.

I have looked at church life with new insights and sharp analysis, which will support me in ministry. Though I have much to learn and experience, the prac-tical tasks have given me confidence to share leadership in worship and other areas of church life. I was encouraged to enquire, be objective, critical and reflect on aspects of worship, liturgy and Chris-tian living. The course was sometimes demanding, always stimulating, produc-ing assignments on time was sometimes a challenge, but I always felt support-ed by the tutors and my fellow students - we were in it together. I am excited about the ways in which God may call me in the future - this is only the end of the beginning!

Billy Jo O’Leary

Neal Clifton

Ethlyn Roy - Johnson

Alan Mitchell

7ochester Link

Rochester diocesan ministry training equips students for leadership roles

The Licensed Lay Ministry Training programme in the Di-

ocese of Rochester has received a vote of confidence in all sixteen criteria set out in its annual Peri-odic External Review. Comment-ing on its small, cohesive group of core staff and wide range of resources within the Diocese, the review identified a number of strengths, including the pro-gramme’s responsiveness to the needs of the local area, the wide range of academic, professional and ministerial networks it draws on, and its strong focus on mis-sion and evangelism.

Forty-two students are currently listed on the Foundation in Christian Ministry Programme which also offers a trans-fer pathway whereby existing Read-ers, Pastoral Assistants and Evange-lists participate in the programme with a personalised selection of modules in order to qualify as Licensed Lay Min-isters The reviewers went on to state that, “We found much good practice in this course, including its integration into diocesan structures for ministerial development, the high quality of its teaching and learning opportunities, the remarkable sense of community amongst a dispersed group of stu-dents, and its effective administration and management.”

The Rev Canon Christopher Dench, Di-ocesan Director of Formation and Min-istry said, “We appreciate the careful work of the review team in interview-ing staff and students and compiling their report. It clearly recognises and affirms the ground-breaking work of the Formation and Ministry team and the lay and ordained team involved in the delivery and support of lay minis-try formation and training.” “We are excited about the training of-fered in Rochester Diocese. The find-ings of the report encourage us to face the challenges of ministry provi-sion with confidence that our lay min-istry programme equips and releases people into a wide variety of ministries responding to the diversity of mission-al opportunities across the diocese.”

The Rt Rev James Langstaff, Bishop of Rochester, said, “This positive review of our programme for Licensed Lay Ministry training is really good news for us.

It is a tribute to the hard work and commitment of all con-

cerned, especially Alison Callway who has done so much to develop this programme.

We are not complacent, and we know that we still have areas in which further work is needed. I look for-ward to us continuing to give great emphasis to the development of lay Christians through this programme.”

By Jo Wheeler

Having been licensed in May 2015, I am gradually developing my role as a Li-censed Lay Minister. The breadth of the training gave new insights and a new context to some things with which I was already familiar as well as teaching me

new skills and knowledge.

That, together with experiences gained in my working life and personal life, is enabling me to develop a ministry around what I feel is my calling, as well as meeting the needs of our church. I hope the following example will illus-trate this.

As my practical project for the Pastoral Module I organised an event for parents who had recently had their children bap-tised, where we explored ways in which parents can “sow seeds of faith” in very young children. As an assignment for the Leading Public Worship module, I studied the proposed changes to the Baptism Liturgy and have recently at-tended the Baptism Matters day.

A new area of ministry for me will be to review with my Vicar our Baptism preparation and

liturgy and find where I can be more involved in this.

In addition, I recently preached at a Baptism Service. This is a natural ex-tension to the involvement I have had for a number of years with our weekly toddler and carer group which gives me good contact with some of our young-er families and opens the door to many who are not regular members of the church family.

I am involved in many other ways at the church and in the community, but I hope this gives a flavour of one way in which a Licensed Lay Minister can contribute to the whole ministry of the people of God.

Jo Wheeler

If you have been inspired by the Lay Ministers’ stories and would like to find out more about training please speak to your incumbent or visit the Lay Ministry and It’s Your Calling pages on the diocesan website www.rochester.anglican.org for more information.

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Vital community support for refugeesSeptember’s picture of three-

year-old Aylan Kurdi lying life-less on a Turkish beach was the most brutal reminder of the cost of ignoring the plight of refugees. While the refugee crisis had al-ready been building for months, the image, with all it said about wasted innocence and desper-ation, represented for many a call to action. Across Britain, in the days and months that fol-lowed, community groups began to emerge, as concerned citizens reached out to each other to see how best they could help from the ground.

In the Borough of Tonbridge and MalLing, momentum was quick to build. First two, then four, then eight…and eventually some two dozen volunteers got together, to do whatever they could to help refugees. Six months on our group – Tonbridge Wel-comes Refugees (TWR) – is fast expand-ing; we have a sister group in Tunbridge Wells (Tunbridge Wells Welcomes Refu-

gees), and are forging links with charities, churches, mosques and schools across the county.

Our aim is simple: we want to welcome refugees.

Those fleeing war deserve compassion: we seek to offer support, both emotional and material, to all those seeking refuge in our safe and secure towns.

Our work is currently focused on the gov-ernment programme to resettle Syrian ref-ugees (known as the Vulnerable Persons Relocation (VPR) scheme). By working closely with the Council, we have been able to start welcoming Syrian families, and in the future hope to welcome many more.

It is hard to put into words what coming here means to those that make it. One fam-ily recently resettled in Kent comes from Aleppo. In five years of war, they have fled countless times. Home after home was de-stroyed; their stories – of gunshot wounds

and bombings and bloodied bodies in roads - defy belief; they have survived.

They are grateful to be here. Immeasura-bly so. But their first few weeks have been hard. They did not speak any English, and the cultural displacement has been all the harder for knowing their sisters and broth-ers are still in danger at home.

TWR is playing a critical role in helping such families settle. While the Local Authority administrates the government’s financial support, TWR is able to provide English

lessons, orientation, contact with home, and – most importantly of all - shoulders to cry on and friends with whom to laugh. The community welcome - as groups like ours are demonstrating up and down the country – really is changing lives.

We hope to help many more Syrian ref-ugees, across West Kent, in the months and years to come. We are also planning to expand our services, to support young refugees who have made their own way here, from whichever war-torn nation they come. To do this we need two things:

1. Houses. The VPR scheme is dependent on private landlords, willing to rent their homes to refugees. Rents are in line with local authority rates, though a top-up scheme - to match private rates – is likely to soon be available. If you are a landlord in Kent who has a flat or house you would like to rent, please get in touch at info@tonbridgewelcomesrefugees.co.uk. You will change lives.

2. Volunteers and donations. As we con-tinue to expand, we would love to hear from anyone interested in offering time, skills or funds to support our work. You can find us at www.tonbridgewelcomes-refugees.co.uk, or at www.facebook.com/tonbridgewelcomesrefugees. Or email us directly at info@tonbridgewelcomesrefu-gees.co.uk. We would love to hear from you.

by Fiona O’Brien

Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; for the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.

Psalm 1 (ESV)

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11ochester Link

IntercessionRochester Diocese - June 2016

Thursday 16 JuneRichard, bishop, 1253Joseph Butler, bishop, philosopher, 1752

Rochester Diocese: Higham, St John, with Merston, St MaryVicar: The Rev Canon James Southward

Friday 17 JuneSamuel and Henrietta Barnett, social reformers, 1913 and 1936

Rochester Diocese: Hoo St WerburghPriest-in-Charge: The Rev John Smith

Saturday 18 JuneBernard Mizeki, martyr, 1896

Rochester Diocese: For Rochester Cathedral, for the new Dean, inaugurated tomorrow.

Sunday 19 JuneFathers’ Day

Rochester Diocese: Pray for the various men’s groups in the Diocese, and those who lead them.

Monday 20 June

Rochester Diocese: Strood, St FrancisVicar: The Rev Sharon Copestake

Tuesday 21 June

Rochester Diocese: Strood, St Nicholas with St Mary (redundant)Vicar: The Rev David Green

Wednesday 22 JuneAlban, first martyr of Britain, c.250. Ember Day

Rochester Diocese: For a renewed sense of vocation, among our congregations, to their life and witness in that place.

Thursday 23 JuneEthelreda, abbess, c.678

Rochester Diocese: Aylesford, St Peter and St PaulVicar: Vacant

Friday 24 JuneBirth of John the BaptistEmber Day

Rochester Diocese: For those called to speak truth to power.

Saturday 25 JuneEmber Day

Rochester Diocese: For training parishes in this Diocese.

Sunday 26 June

Rochester Diocese: Erith Deanery Areal Dean: the Rev Julie Conalty; Lay Chair: Mr Peter Green

Monday 27 JuneCyril, bishop, teacher of the faith, 444

Rochester Diocese: For Bishop James, and for his birthday cele-brations.

Tuesday 28 JuneIrenaeus, bishop, teacher of the faith, c.200

Rochester Diocese: Barming, St Margaret and Longsole Mission ChurchRector: The Rev Wil North

Wednesday 29 JunePeter and Paul, Apostles

Rochester Diocese: Birling, All Saints, Addington, St Margaret, Ryarsh, St Martin of Tours, and Trottiscliffe, St Peter and St PaulRector: The Rev Linda Shuker

Thursday 30 June

Rochester Diocese: Burham, St Mary the Virgin (redundant) and Wouldham, All SaintsPriest-in-Charge: The Rev Mike Hayes

Wednesday 1 JuneJustin, martyr, c.165

Rochester Diocese: Chatham, St StephenPriest-in-Charge: The Rev Barry Linney

Thursday 2 JuneRochester Diocese: Luton, Christ ChurchVicar: The Rev David Sutton

Friday 3 JuneMartyrs of Uganda, 1885-7, 1977

Rochester Diocese: Princes Park, Christ the KingRector: The Rev Derek D’Souza

Saturday 4 JunePetroc, abbott, 6th cent

Rochester Diocese: Rochester, St JustusVicar: The Rev Helen Burn

Sunday 5 JuneRochester Diocese:Beckenham Deanery Areal Dean: Rob Hinton; Lay Chair: Mrs Sarah Poole

Monday 6 JuneIni Kopuria, founder of the Melanesian Brother-hood, 1945

Rochester Diocese: Rochester, St Peter with St MargaretVicar: The Rev Dr Joel Love

Tuesday 7 June

Rochester Diocese:South Chatham, Holy TrinityTeam Rector: The Rev Elaine CramnerTeam Vicar: The Rev David Kichenside

Wednesday 8 JuneThomas Ken, bishop, non juror, hymn writer, 1711

Rochester Diocese: Cliffe, St Helen, with Cooling, St James (redundant) Rector: Vacant

Thursday 9 JuneColumba, abbott, mis-sionary, 597. Ephrem, deacon, hymn writer, teacher of the faith,373

Rochester Diocese: Cuxton, St Michael and All Angels, with Hal-ling, St John the BaptistRector: The Rev Roger Knight

Friday 10 June

Rochester Diocese: Frindsbury, All Saints, with Upnor, St Phil-ip and St James, and Chattenden, Bishop GundulphVicar: The Rev Nicholas Cooper

Saturday 11 JuneBarnabas the Apostle

Rochester Diocese: For Diocesan Synod, meeting today.

Sunday 12 June

Rochester Diocese: Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of Her other Realms and Territories Queen, Head of the Common-wealth, Defender of the Faith.

Monday 13 June

Rochester Diocese: Grain, St James, with Stoke, St Peter and St Paul Priest-in-Charge: Vacant

Tuesday 14 JuneRichard Baxter, puritan divine, 1691

Rochester Diocese: High Halstow, St Margaret, with All Hal-lows, All Saints, and Hoo St Mary, St Mary (redundant)Rector: The Rev Stephen Gwilt

Wednesday 15 JuneEvelyn Underhill, spiritual writer, 1941

Rochester Diocese: For all in need of organ and blood donations.

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Poverty and Hope Appeal 2016“He defended the cause of the poor and needy, and so all went well. Is that not what it means to know me?” Jeremiah 22:16

Poverty is a huge burden that can overwhelm people. It leaves them powerless and re-moves their life choices. The scale of global poverty can be daunting, but you can help lift individuals and communities out of poverty.

The annual Poverty and Hope Appeal aims to channel Christian concern in our Diocese about justice for the poor and disadvantaged people to projects across the globe which focus on development, helping people trans-form their lives and those of their communi-ties. Since it began 30 years ago, the Appeal has raised over £1.4 million. And because the Appeal is run by volunteers, we expect over 95% of monies raised will reach our project partners.

The Poverty and Hope Appeal works through partner organisations, Christian Aid, CMS and Us (USPG), with Rochester’s partner Di-ocese of Kondoa in Tanzania, and with Com-monwork here in Kent. This year the Appeal supports six projects that focus on issues central to the eradication of poverty – ag-riculture and the environment, community engagement, empowerment of women, and education. Individual projects are normally supported for three years; this year we have

one new project, in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Projects in Argentina and Burkino Faso re-spectively focus on illegal deforestation, and helping people feed themselves in the face of increasingly unpredictable weather. Your support will help give them a voice to chal-lenge vested interests and provide them with the means to achieve food security.

In the DRC, a community engagement project will train and support members of marginal-ised communities to understand their rights, to help them work with local authorities to secure resources and assistance for their communities. The empowerment project in India supports community courts which give women from the poorest parts of society a voice in resolving domestic issues. Justice is based on reconciliation and rehabilitation (do watch the video on our website). This project was visited by one of our committee in Jan-uary. He returned greatly encouraged to see what a difference this was making in the lives of very poor people.

Our two educational projects are closer to “home”. In Tanzania the Appeal is helping to build a vocational training centre in Roch-ester’s partner Diocese of Kondoa. In Kent, we continue to support Commonwork, based near Chiddingstone. Best known for their commitment with schools to explore complex global issues such as conflict and sustainabil-ity, they also work with disadvantaged young

people to develop their skills and confidence.

For more information about the Poverty and Hope Appeal, the projects it supports and how you can support it, please visit bit.ly/PovertyHope. Do email the Appeal coordina-tor Debbie Cooper, povertyandhope@gmail.com, for copies of the 2016 Appeal brochure, posters and gift aid envelopes, and to ar-range for a speaker to come to your church or group. The Appeal team would also love to have representatives from more Churches. Do you know someone who would like to join

and could spare a minimum of 16 hours a year including three mornings?

Thank you to everyone who supported the 2015 Appeal. We hope that you will continue support by both prayer and giving. We also would like new supporters, both individuals and churches. Some years ago we received a significant bequest which has supported our giving over recent years. But this has almost run out and, without increased support, we will have to cut the amount we give to pro-jects.

The Rochester Diocese Poverty and Hope Appeal 2016 has just been launched.

Diocese says formal GoodbyeThe Diocese of Rochester said a formal goodbye to the Rev Canon Jean Kerr and her husband the Rev Canon Paul Kerr on Sunday 8 May, at a service in Rochester Cathe-dral. Although Canon Kerr retains her role as Canon Missioner until the end of the summer she will relinquish her Rochester home shortly and commute to work from Deal. As a parting gift, Jean was given a purple laptop!