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General Election Pastoral Statement for the Parish Church of All Saints Highertown and Baldhu

14/12/2019

Pastoral Statement to the Parish Church of All Saints Highertown and Baldhu in all services from the Priest in Charge, Revd Jeremy Putnam to be read out on Sunday 15th December 2019.

Today, as we worship Almighty God in prayer and praise, as we gather around Our Lord and Saviour found in word and sacrament, as we pray for the salvation of the nations and as we prepare to receive Jesus Christ in Holy Communion we must remember that we are called to pray for the High Court of Parliament.

A majority have spoken and a government has been democratically elected.

Every one of us has been enabled to express our democratic right and enact our communal responsibility this week. Whatever anyone’s party political affiliation, it has been my prayer that we will have approached voting with good intention, careful thought and with honour.

Honour is a much- needed value within our society. As is truth.
We as the church are called to seek the grace and truth embodied perfect in our Saviour, Jesus Christ, and for all Christian people to model the harmony that comes through the power of the Holy Spirit. Harmony and unity are different to uniformity. It is not for me to tell you whether you should or should not share how you voted; nor is it for me to pass judgment on how anyone voted.

It is however, for me to remind us all that Almighty God is our loving and merciful judge. We will be judged not by how we voted but by how we as a community love one another, how we love our neighbour and how we welcome the stranger in our midst. Mary sang that her Saviour would bring down the powerful from their thrones, and lift up the humble; to fill the hungry with good things, and send the greedy away empty.

And therefore, my daily prayer for us all is that we seek always to stand united around God’s table; that we manage difference of opinion between us with our eyes kept firmly on Jesus Christ; that we attempt in some small way to be the hands of Christ and feet of Christ, breaking bread and sharing it with the poor and hungry; that we clothe the naked; care for the orphan, support the widow, visit the sick; tend the dying and with missional hearts, that we pray fervently for the conversion of those who do not yet know our Lord.

Churches are rooted in communities right across the country. It is the task of the church to emphasize, from its experience, issues which must be seen as key priorities for our time, and for our government, whichever party is in power.

Our new parliament has a great task ahead of it. In its desire to address the severity of deprivation in our communities, the impact of austerity, the pressures on our NHS, schools, and public sector services, it will need the help of everyone, irrespective of political persuasion. My prayer is that we find a common cause, inspired by our common faith and our common humanity to bring about healing in this nation. By word, prayer and deed I hope that we as the church will support our parliament and politicians so that they can better keep to their promises of working for the common good and for the wellbeing of all people.

Priority 1: Creation does not belong to us. Our task is to nurture and recognise our place within it. It is now widely understood that climate change and environmental degradation is the most pressing issue of our day, and it must be addressed. It cannot wait until it affects our own home and community, we must act now for the sake of those whose lives are threatened today.

Priority 2: This church hosts a foodbank, has a small team of advocates supporting people in financial crisis, partners with Christian’s against Poverty, and supports the Cornwall Childrens Clothes Bank. Over the course of the last few years demand on these services have risen. Foodbanks should not exist –and therefore our MP and government need our support now more than ever to put an end to the need by helping them tackle the cause.

Priority 3:We live in a world that is diverse in culture, varied in beauty and colour, and wide-ranging in language, religion and spirituality. Even in the Christian faith alone there is much diversity and expression. This is the intention of God that we live in freedom and love, in the knowledge that all people bear the image of God. Our country is the same; it is an inter-generational, multi-ethnic, socially diverse collection of communities. Sadly, in recent times there has been an increase in reported racism and hate crime in our country, with growing forms of hostility, divisiveness and hatred. The church here seeks to support people who have experienced such discord, welcoming all people in the spirit of our faith which sees no discrimination of honour between man or woman, irrespective of race, nationality, or language.

John the Baptist pointed to Jesus. No earthly leader will ever be as Jesus is. No earthly kingdom will ever be as God’s Kingdom is. There is only one Kingdom that truly matters, the eternal kingdom of God, all human kingdoms will fade away.

And so, we pray for the High Court of Parliament using the prayer issued by the Church of England in the run up to the General Election, for we must remember that as the established church we have a responsibility to pray for those who lead, whether we agree with their political affiliation or not:

God of hope,
in these times of change,
unite our nation
and guide our leaders with your wisdom.
Give us courage to overcome our fears,
and help us to build a future
in which all may prosper and share;
through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

*Letter was inspired by a similar letter written by Father Simon Robinson, Vicar of the Parish of Minehead.
*Priorities were inspired by the open letter to the Prime Minister by the Methodist President. https://www.methodist.org.uk/about-us/news/latest-news/all-news/an-open-letter-to-the-prime-minister/

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Run for your Lifehouse!

11/12/2019

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Way before Christianity became a tradition, before it was associated with buildings, budgets, and missions, even before it was associated with such things as crusades, colonisation, and televangelism, it was a radical nonviolent movement promoting a way of life that enlivened people and brought a new kind of hope to the margins of society. Before Christianity was an institution it was a movement, before it was a movement it was a dream, before it was a dream it was a Word.

During Advent we are reminded of our own movement toward Christmas, our travelling toward the Word of God, who is Jesus Christ, God incarnate. God in the flesh. And in Advent we are reminded that in the greater story of humanity we keep moving toward that time when he will come again. Christianity has always been the ‘Way’, the road on which we travel, and therefore it is a movement to see the world differently, and not just to dream that things could be different but to live as though they can be different, and will be different.

Many of you will have heard that the Truro Lifehouse, a project to radically redevelop the community facilities at All Saints Highertown, has received support and funding through Cornwall Council’s Langarth Investment Fund. This support means we can now press on with the work to redevelop the facilities so we can open in early 2021. As you can imagine the team behind the project is thrilled. It has been 3 years in the making and has involved many people. Residents of Highertown, Malabar, Threemilestone, Gloweth and Truro have been involved, many community support groups and organisations such as Truro Foodbank, Cornwall Childrens Clothes Bank, Alcoholics Anonymous, Acts 435, and Truro Memory Café have all helped with the design work. It has also seen support from students at Exeter University Business School and the Design and Architecture students at Falmouth University.

The vision for the building is to support the existing and growing communities around us, to support people who live beyond Highertown, right out to the new residents moving in to Langarth. And more specifically, to have a building that attends to the needs of the most vulnerable people in our communities by offering a space to meet. Whether it be for a cuppa in the community café, care in the changing places facilities, a moment of quiet in the sensory garden space or through the welcome people receive from a purposefully designed dementia friendly environment, we hope those that find life most difficult will feel truly welcomed.

Along with the funding from Cornwall Council we have also secured funding from the Church Commissioners to appoint a new Children and Families Leader, a new Youth Leader, and a Social Justice Missioner who will all work hard to extend the benefits of the new facility to our neighbouring communities such as Threemilestone and Truro. The team at the Truro Lifehouse will be keen to work with the local schools, other churches and other community facilities like Threemilestone Community Centre to help reach the people we all care about.

For those that aren’t aware All Saints Highertown is the parish church for Malabar, Copperfields, Bissoe, Baldhu, Gloweth, Threemilestone, Greenbottom and Langarth. And therefore, we expect to support and serve the people of these communities.

The Truro Lifehouse has never just been about the building it has always been about people and life, hence its name. Before it was a building, it was a design, before it was design it was a collection of ideas, before it was an idea it was a movement; a movement to reach the people who are too often forgotten and unheard. Have a look for yourself www.trurolifehouse.uk and let us know what you think. We would love to hear from you.

Along with the Truro Lifehouse, Threemilestone Primary School are also set to receive funding to help establish a new hall facility, which is fantastic news for everyone connected with the school. And because of the passionate commitment to her community, Cllr Tudor has also secured further support for the development of community infrastructure for the village centre of Threemilestone. This has been the result of a great deal of hard work on her part and will ensure Threemilestone continues to get support through the Langarth Master Planning process.

Lastly, we are still fundraising for the Lifehouse Project. In June 2020 we will be running the Coast to Coast Half Marathon. Why not join our team and run for your Lifehouse! We need runners who are willing to help raise £100 each, so get in touch.
May you all have a blessed and joy-filled Christmas season, and may you know blessing of Jesus, who came to bring life, life in all its fullness.

Revd Jeremy Putnam.

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General Election Pastoral Statement for the Parish Church of All Saints Highertown and Baldhu

Run for your Lifehouse!

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