Reflections - Rector's Letter

From Tim, our Rector:

“Exploring Worship” at Bleadon Church:

In the last three years we have all been on a journey that none of us saw coming and that has both grieved and inspired us all at once. This experience has both awoken and drained us, and I don’t know about you, but again and again, for me, it has moved from one chapter to the next, and I have only realised well after the change has happened! Most, maybe all of us now see all sorts of things rather differently to how we did three years ago.

We have been through a real mix of joyful and painful times and I now sense a need to regroup and discern the pattern of the way we share worship going forward. Earlier this year, as I tried to work out what pattern of worship might be best for us now, you may recall that I asked you all a question: “What is it that most awakens your spirit to worship God?” The answers that you sent me were a true privilege to receive and read. In glorious variety they bore witness to the depth of personal engagement among us. Over 20 of you responded and I am still deeply thankful to each and every one of you.

I now want to invite all of you again, on the next step in our worship adventure. I am planning to run some groups this autumn entitled “Exploring Worship” which will be based on some materials produced by our diocese. “Exploring Worship” will make space for us to look again at the heart of all the different things we do when we worship and then help us find ways of running services which make space for this in the best way that we can. I want to invite all of you to join in with this. What ever we do when we gather for worship, we all contribute to the shared experience and quality of what we offer to God, those of us sat in the congregation, joining in as invited, those at the front throughout and those who come forward or speak up or sing up individually for a time. As we worship together, what is it that wells up in each of us and then nourishes the worship of those around us? “Exploring Worship” will help us see, share and value all these contributions in their glorious diversity and then weave them into our services more deliberately and effectively. I am planning to run our first “Exploring Worship” time during the last week in September and to identify eight dates in total before Christmas. Although not essential, I would like to encourage all of you to come along to all eight. Each time we will be together for about two and a half hours. But, when is the best time to get together? I am wondering about Thursday or Friday mornings or afternoons, or Saturday mornings? Please can you all let me know if there are weekly times you really can not regularly make and I will do my best to find times to get together that will suit as many of us as possible. Please can you let me know by 5th September so I can then set dates and get them published. Thank you so much for sharing in our church life here. Please do join in.