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I’m mindful of so many things we have to be thankful for in this country (I’m not thinking here of Margaret Thatcher’s legacy!). Those of us at church on 7th April, were encouraged by Janet Smith’s talk on the wonderful progress that has been made at the Dayspring School in Uganda, owing to in part our fund raising for the much needed tractor. An education and our daily food is something we take for granted. Another thing we come to expect is our relative safety and security. Recently the Boston bombing has dominated the news and the terrible conflict, which continues to rage, in Syria gets good coverage but there are war zones that the media has now fallen silent about.
Some of you will recall that Canon Andrew White, the Vicar of Bagdad, came to speak at St John’s on “Missions Sunday” one year. While, there is now stability and prosperity in some areas of Iraq, sadly, that is not the case in Bagdad. Here is a quote from his latest mailing:
“We cannot move even with my police and army security. We have never had to cancel a service but the youth service this evening will be impossible. Even today the bombs are exploding, scores are being killed and total massacre has been released. Today is the worst war zone I have ever seen. I am told that I will not be able to enter the green zone to take tomorrows US Embassy services, I will, I have no idea how, but please pray that I can. I simply need a miracle and our God specialises in them. All this rapid deterioration is because tomorrow we have provincial election. They are only like regional council elections. Is this the so-called democracy? It is fine for people to say we are going to bring democracy to the Middle East. We don't want it. It does not work here it just causes massive death and destruction. All that works here is God and his light, life and love. That is all that gives us hope.”
Please continue to keep Andrew White and St Georges Church in your prayers. (See inside for details of his latest book.)
Rev’d Lisa Cornwell |
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Lisa Cornwell began her working life at an insurance company in Watford, where she spent three years before changing direction to study for a theology degree at The London School of Theology. Following this, she trained as a secondary school teacher in Oxford and then took up a post as Head of R.E. at a school in Maidenhead for five years. During this time she undertook a Master's Degree in Religious Education at King's College, London. Lisa enjoyed her teaching career but sensed that something else was round the corner. She tested out a call to the ordained ministry and it snowballed from there on. She trained at Ridley Hall, Cambridge.
Ordained in June 2002, Lisa served her curacy in the benefice of Newport Pagnell (which usually rings a bell with people when they think of journeying up the M1 and stopping at the service station!) During her four years there, Lisa also trained in spiritual direction and wrote a book, which rather complements the spiritual direction work. Her book "Dreams - The Path to Wholeness" was published by SPCK in August 2006.
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David Ramsbottom
David will be our Assistant Curate from 30th June, 2012. We asked him to introduce himself.
“My ordination as a Deacon on June 30th, 2012 in Oxford Cathedral followed careers in the Civil Service and Primary/Nursery teaching. I have been aware of my vocation to serve God in the ordained ministry since my early twenties, but that’s a long story... In the Civil Service I worked for the Benefits Agency in several locations from Durham to the giddy heights of Brixton (arriving the morning after the 1985 riots), and a decade for the Energy Regulator OFGEM in Reading and London. I re-trained as a primary teacher in 2004 and spent six exhilarating years working my way down the junior and infant age ranges, finally specialising in the ‘Early Years’ – three and four year olds, which I thoroughly enjoyed. However last November I swapped my nursery class for just one eight-month old – our new granddaughter Sophie, who I now look after four days a week (three from September 2012). As well as her mother Sarah, also a primary teacher, we have a younger daughter Catherine, a junior case-worker in family law. Both work in London. I am married to Julie who has since last September been Rector of Finchampstead and California.
My own training for the ordained ministry has been with the Oxford Ministry Course, shortened to two years because of my previous theology degree (a London University Bachelor of Divinity, completed in 2003). Training has involved (Iong) Tuesday evenings, at least two residential weekends per term, a summer school and an Easter school. Producing essays and portfolios and to MA standard has been a huge effort, but enormously worthwhile, as the teaching has all been excellent and the courses highly relevant: for instance the last set of six lectures on Christian Ethics and my final written portfolio on youth ministry (based on a placement earlier this year with the amazing youth ministry team at St Lawrence's Reading). As for my previous ‘church’ experience – starting as a chorister aged seven – well that’s a pretty long story too...! Other interests? These include our Airedale terrier, a 1955 MG, singing and choir-training, walking, cycling and organic gardening – time permitting!
I am really looking forward to sharing ministry and mission with the people of St John’s”. |
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Christ-centred Worship