Well, I have reached the end of my first year at the College of the Resurrection and wow what a great time I have had. I have completed essay after essay and achieved a mark to be proud of on each.

Last time I wrote was about my experience at Halifax minster on a placement. Now for the summer break, I am on more placements to appreciate the breadth of the Church of England and what it has to offer both in worship and the variety of ministries that I may be called to undertake.

I am currently doing a placement at a Holy Trinity Brompton plant with a link with the Methodist Church. This is a place where I feel challenged both by worship style, but also just by the sheer focus on mission which is not what we may be used to at Holy Trinity.

I do at present spend a lot of time working and walking alongside a large group of Iranian refugees who are staying in a hotel near the church where I am. We try to converse and often I need someone to translate for me to speak of the Christian message which is being discussed at the Bible study group on the first 4 chapters of Matthews Gospel. Just the other day I was asked to lead the Alpha Course which is in itself a huge challenge to me having never been involved with Alpha before, but to then be told that it will be in Farsi (the language spoken in Iran) was worrying. As we go through our Christian journey, I believe that it is important to rise to any challenge and do my best to put across the Christian message in a clear and understandable way so that all may learn and grow through the experience. well, I did manage to talk with the people about sin and forgiveness and I am sure that a good time was had by all, even if a few laughs were also had along the way.

Over the next three weeks I will be at a hospital learning about the work of the church in a very different context and finding the joy that our faith can bring to those who are suffering and frightened, and I hope that my presence will allow the patients to see the face of Christ and maybe find that prayer and belief is a constant comfort in times of worry and confusion. Let’s see how I get on.

Graham Hains, who was Pastoral Assistant here at Holy Trinity last year, and now training for ordination writes….I am now back in Mirfield and have completed a week of a placement at Halifax Minster.

The Minster feels very strange. It seems not Parish nor Cathedral. Cannon Hilary Barber made a great effort to make everything as normal to me as possible. We had morning prayer daily together with the curate and Minster staff, a lunchtime Mass, and Evening Prayer. The purpose of the placement was for me to discover how important a church is to the local community. I had a tour of the whole area of Halifax, and a day with the local council and Mayor to see how the Church of England serves the community and helps the council to deliver services and discover those in need.

I did some home communion visits with the clergy, and went on a funeral visit. I feel it was sensitive and brave for a family to speak so openly about their loved one, faith, and how they feel. I then had an afternoon at the local Church of England private school which supplies many young people for the Minster choir. I was then invited to go for a day with a local mental health charity to discover what help those in times of trouble and worry can get from a charity. This gave me an opportunity to talk with the volunteers about their mental health problems, and how the pastoral help of the Minster, local church communities and clergy have helped them to find comfort and answers when nothing seems to make sense. 

I finished the week at the funeral directors, and heard about the links between them and local churches, who have helped them to give local people the send-off that is suitable and comforting for all family and friends.

Things are going well, and I have recently had a week studying the Living in Love and Faith course. I feel that the bishops’ announcement this week was all at this point they can do to encourage all to be accepting of all people with difference, and I hope that this will result in a growth of the love of God from all sectors of thecommunity.

Along with many other organisations and private homes, Holy Trinity took part in the recent Living Advent project in Stroud Green. Windows were decorated and lighted to celebrate the season, and ours was the beautiful crib scene displayed in the church entrance porch.

CAROLS ON THE GREEN – Monday 19th December at 7.00 pm

Informal community carol singing on the green outside the church (followed by more formal carols in the church and mulled wine and mince pies)

CHILDREN’S CRIB SERVICE – Christmas Eve 24th December at 4.00 pm

An informal retelling of the Nativity with the chance for children to take part.

MIDNIGHT MASS – Christmas Eve 24th December at 11.30 pm

A sung Mass with traditional carols and the blessing of the crib

CHRISTMAS DAY MASS – Sunday 25th December at 10.00 am

A sung Mass with carols