June 2008
Dear Friends,
Those of you old enough to remember the BBC Television “Play for Today” series might remember one called “Campion’s Interview.” For obvious reasons I remember it well! It started with an interview panel of the Mayor, Local Authority bosses and assorted others who were seeking to appoint a new head teacher to the local school.
The first question asked of Campion, the candidate, was why he wanted the job. His reply was, “I don’t!” and then he used the entire interview as a platform to admonish the bureaucrats for their part in presiding over a failing education system.
Fortunately the Reverend Bruce Deans took a somewhat different line, and as we now know he will be inducted to his new role as Rector and Vicar of the United Benefice on September 8th. Bruce, and his wife Caroline with their two young sons Daniel and Joseph, will find a welcome as warm as the summer that is now upon us.
I write this during the beautiful weather of early May; but knowing my luck when the magazine is published we will be experiencing cold, wet and windy days! But whatever the weather, our welcome remains warm and constant as he prepares for his ministry with us.
The summer season will not only herald the arrival of our new priest but many other things that are so much part of village life. Without doubt the Church fetes at both Wickham and Shedfield are such occasions. Cream teas, bottle stalls, raffles, ice creams, and so much more are, to use the phrase, “quintessentially English.” They have been part of our landscape for generations.
And that is true of the beautiful churches that dominate the landscape where we live. They may not be used by everyone, but they are always there, open to receive visitors, worshippers, or those simply seeking peace and space to reflect at times of happiness and sorrow.
I find it hard to imagine what a village would be like without its church as a dominant feature, loved by all and there when needed. But the harsh reality is that, beautiful though they are, churches need to be maintained. None are immune from the ravages of time, and that means that considerable expenditure is required just to keep them safe from leaking roofs, damaged exteriors and to preserve the internal fabric.
That is certainly true of the churches both of St Nicholas and St John the Baptist which depend so much on your generosity to maintain them. Both are in need of considerable investment and repairs.
So as we approach the church fete season please look around these beautiful buildings, reflect on their purpose, and their importance to village life. There are times when the churches provide for us; but there are also times when we need to provide for them. This is one of them.
Therefore I ask, unashamedly, please give generously.
Who knows? You may well win the raffle, a bottle, or a cuddly toy! But above all, you will be playing your part to ensure that our churches survive not only this generation but generations to come.
In His Love,
