Welcome to Weobley & Staunton Joint Benefice

The gospel text in our final Sunday of Lent is from John chapter 11, telling the emotional and dramatic story of the death of Lazarus, and his raising from the tomb by Jesus. It’s a story that gives us a window into the humanity of Jesus as he weeps for his friend, but it’s also a pivotal point in John’s gospel, as Jesus’ resurrection call to Lazarus reveals his glory and power.  Jesus statement “I am the resurrection and the life” comes into sharp relief as the figure of Lazarus emerges from the darkness of the tomb and into the light of day.  

In my teenage years, I once listened to an atheist on a soapbox in the Domain in Sydney (like London’s Hyde Park corner) who challenged me with the words ‘What does RIP mean? Rise if possible?’ The raising of Lazarus showed this rising as a concrete reality to all present. It also upset the Jewish high priests, who decided thereafter that Jesus must be put to death. Thank God the Easter story does not end there.

Rev’d Philip

Last Saturday 20 people from across our churches gathered at the Bishop’s Palace in Hereford for our Envisioning Day. The day was led by Bishop Richard and Rev Dr Liz Wild and enabled us to do some ‘blue-sky’ thinking about the ministry of our churches 5 years from hence but also some thinking about our current challenges.

Bishop Richard shared a model for the activity of churches, noting that in growing churches there tends to be a concern for three different areas: incarnation (relationships), transformation (of people’s lives) and proclamation (sharing the good news). An interesting point made was that the cutting edge of mission is where all three of these areas come together. We discussed how we were faring across the Benefice in these areas. One uncomfortable question raised in my mind during this discussion was ‘Have we [by ‘we’ I mean our churches and the wider Church of England], as a result of secular pressure, lost our confidence in the power of the gospel to transform minds and lives?’

In our afternoon session we talked about possible areas for development:

Making our churches more welcoming as spaces for those visiting or attending services for the first time.

Going out into the community and welcoming newcomers or contacting those we have not seen in church.

Providing appropriate follow-up for those dealing with bereavement.

Asking the question ‘How can we help our neighbouring parish in the Benefice?’ so that our concerns are not restricted only to our parish setting, but benefice-wide.

If you have suggestions or would like to be involved in any of these initiatives, please talk to one of your PCC members or a JBC representative.

Rev’d Philip